Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

The uptake of new technology is faster than ever before, which means access to your audience is quicker than ever too. All you need to do is target them with a powerful marketing strategy that will engage them in unique ways.

2016 appears to be a great year for all the online businesses out there who are in the race to stay ahead of the curve by adopting these new and effective trends in online marketing, with the goal of making campaigns more effective.

Here are six online marketing trends that your business needs to know in 2016....

2013 was a year when the phrase ‘social media marketing’ became simply ‘marketing’. You can’t have a marketing strategy any more that isn’t social – not just the practice of sharing TV ads online, but where calls to action and engagement are central to their success.So what’s next for social marketing? Let’s take a look forward into 2014 and see where this year’s momentum is taking us...

...People young and old are becoming more aware of the role advertising plays in their lives. This is a good thing because the internet has brought the advertiser and consumer closer than ever. No longer is the marketing realm confined to static magazine inserts or two-minute TV slots. Brands are sponsoring events, generating discussion, and taking part in all kinds of crazy activity in the name of generating brand awareness.

 

Because of a growing understanding amongst people that they are ‘being marketed to’, advertisers have had to turn down the volume on their own material. Instead, storytelling is becoming more of a central feature than ever for advertisements and marketing videos alike. This is the stuff of now and of the future – delivering big and unique ideas and tapping into emotions and dreams. It’s all about marketing that is so enchanting you forget there is a price tag.

 

But another trend is also gaining in popularity, and its the complete opposite of subtle – meta-advertising. This is marketing that is entirely self referential in quality, it involves a complete renouncement of subtlety, its a reaction against traditional advertising and a nod to the increasingly self-aware and savvy minds of the audience. Meta-advertising has the power to hold our attention, to make us laugh, be original and creative. But its most important and powerful attribute is honesty (or the appearance thereof).... It's an intriguing trend....

Social media marketing tips: Learn how calls to action, content strategy, email/social integration and goals play a part in your social media efforts.

 

Are you looking for actionable tips to improve your social media marketing? Are you wondering what the common themes of social media experts are these days? This April, 1,100 passionate marketers from every corner of the world traveled to San Diego for Social Media Marketing World (#SMMW13), to find out. The number of conference takeaways and buzz was immense.

 

For this article, I’ve focused on 26 takeaways from SMMW13, including notable quotes by presenters and their session titles....

85% of consumers say it is important or very important to them to do business with a company for which they have strong emotions, per survey results [download page] released in November 2012 by rbb Public Relations. But that connection is more important in some industries than others, and appears to matter more in industries where products are more complex and less of a commoditized.

For example, 76% of respondents say that an emotional connection is important from healthcare providers, with that connection built upon personal and proactive communications from the provider. Banking (63%) was next, followed by professional services (62%). A high proportion also value emotional connections when it comes to travel (56%), insurance (55%), auto (52%), technology (44%) and food (also 44%)....

It seems like the platforms that have been around for a while get updates every other week, and new platforms emerge faster than you can count. One trend that binds these new and updated platforms together? Users and the convenience that social offers them.

Honestly, people don't want to bounce around from site to site to get what they want, and social media platforms have been making some changes to accommodate them. Because giants like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram have made it easier than ever for businesses to leverage and users to engage with, social is a one-stop shop for audiences.

Your audience is constantly online and in social media apps. To find out what that means for your brand, here are four of the biggest changes in social media you need to keep on your radar:...

With knowledge being the currency of the future, and unbiased information more accessible than ever before, it’s not surprising to see that brands are embracing simplicity and transparency as pillars of their product, messaging, and marketing strategies. A notable shift from pre-digital strategies, where information was often obfuscated and protected, changing consumer sentiment is driving this change – and products are getting better.

Amazon Elements and Target Made to Matter are two great examples of this new approach. At their core, both focus on a fundamental understanding that consumers want to know what they are buying ... from the raw ingredients that go into the products and packaging to the overall environmental impact of the manufacturing and logistics processes. And because openness was embraced from the start, both deliver innovative ways for consumers to interact with that information – including full-featured online product specs as well as scannable product codes that deliver detailed package-level information. Beyond product content, both companies have also incorporated consumer feedback into the product development process, highlighting the importance of a more collaborative, inclusive brand experience....